Osteoporosis exercises

Osteoporosis exercises are perhaps the most effective way of osteoporosis prevention and treatment.

When exercising not just your muscles and endurance are being challenged, but the thickness of the bones is targeted too. Physical activity helps to build and maintain the strength and thickness of your bones therefore help to deal with osteoporosis.

There are several kinds of exercises for osteoporosis that include:

-         Weight-bearing

-         Resistance

-         Flexibility

All three types of exercising should be combined and used together in order to achieve a greater bone density and health.

Weight bearing exercises for osteoporosis are the most available and easy. They consist of walking, hiking, dancing, stair climbing. Anything that puts pressure on your feet and legs when supporting body’s weight is considered weight bearing exercises for osteoporosis.

Take time to walk as little as three to five minutes in between your daily activities and this can help you to get your bones stronger. Most doctors recommend that anyone should get at least 30 minutes to one hour of substantial exercise for about five times a week. 

Osteoporosis and exercise do not go together. If you exercise regularly and maintain an active life style, the chances of getting osteoporosis later in life are much lower than of those who do not.

Another important type of exercise for osteoporosis is a resistance exercise.

The resistance in this case refers to working against the weight of some other object. Osteoporosis exercises that include resistance strengthen the muscles and build bones. Different studies have shown that when people who use resistance exercises have a significantly lower risk or getting a fracture and have a much higher bone density.

Osteoporosis exercises that fall into this category are:

-         Using weights, either free ones or weight machines at home or in the gym;

-         Tubing resistance

-         Exercising in the water, any movement that’s done in the water makes it harder for muscles to work, and therefore strengthens them

If you want to achieve the best results, it is recommended to do resistance exercises at least two or three times a week. The exercises need to be gradually intensified, either adding weight or increasing repetition is advised. Different muscles need to be involved in exercising: arm muscles, chest, shoulder, legs, belly, and back. However, make sure to not continue with the resistance exercising on the same group of muscles for two days in a row, each muscle group needs time for recovery.

The third kind of osteoporosis exercises are flexibility exercises. Preventing injury can be achieved by making joint more flexible. The most common flexibility exercises are:

-         Stretches on the regular basis;

-         Tai chi

-         Yoga for osteoporosis

It is common for people to worry about being involved in exercising; many doubt the safety of it. People who already suffer from osteoporosis or osteopenia (or pre osteoporosis) are typically the most concerned. Even if you have never been physically active before, there is nothing to worry about. There is a large variety of option to choose from.

Before establishing an exercising program you should consult your doctor to choose the right and safe one for you, especially if you already experience substantial bone loss or osteoporosis. The doctor will advise which kind of exercising is better in your case, as well as how intense and regular the physical training needs to be.

Osteoporosis risk factors

There is a number of osteoporosis risk factors, that under certain circumstances or if combine may result in osteoporosis. Some of them cannot be changed or avoided, while others are very much preventable. It is important to understand all the possible range of osteoporosis risk factors in order to prevent or treat the condition.

The unchangeable risk factors for osteoporosis include:

-         gender, women are proven to be a lot more likely to develop osteoporosis than men;

-         age, as you age the risk of getting osteoporosis becomes greater;

-         race, people of Caucasian or of Asian descent as the potential risk group;

-         family history, if you have parents or even siblings that have osteoporosis, you are more likely to develop it yourself, especially if there is a family history of bone fractures;

-          frame size, both men and women that have little body frames are usually at a higher risk of getting osteoporosis because their bodies have less bone mass to take from when they get older.

Talking about risk factors of osteoporosis, it is important to mention hormone levels. People who either have and excess or a lack of certain hormones in their systems may be at risk of getting osteoporosis. Such hormones may be:

-         Sex hormones, women may develop this disease when the estrogen levels drop during or after the menopause, or as a result of certain cancer treatments. Men usually experience a reduction of testosterone levels that comes with age. When either estrogen or testosterone levels are decreased the bones become weaker;

-         Problems with the thyroid gland, the excess of thyroid hormone is typically associated with bone loss. Such an excess may take place when the thyroid is overactive or if too much of the thyroid hormone medication is being taken to help treat an underactive thyroid.

-         Problems with other glands, overactive parathyroid and/or adrenal glands may also be responsible for osteoporosis development.

Your diet is also a key element in evaluating osteoporosis risk factors. If there is not enough calcium in the system, it causes the diminished bone density, forced early bone loss, and increases the risk of bone fractures. A lack of required Vitamin D levels may also contributed to develop the condition.

People who have eating disorders are also at risk, especially if the eating disorder is that of anorexia. If there is not enough food consumed, there is not enough calcium ingested. If as a result of anorexia, menstruation in women has been stopped, osteoporosis may be more likely to occur.

Some people who have experienced a weight-loss surgery may develop the disease, because the reduction of the stomach size means that less nutrients (including calcium) are able to absorb.

Such medication as steroids may contribute to bone loss. Prednisone and cortisone does not allow for the bone to be rebuilt in the natural way. Medications to help treat seizures, depression, gastric reflux, and cancer are also associated with osteoporosis.

Finally, the lifestyle is also among the osteoporosis risk factors. People who do not get enough exercises, smoke, or over use alcohol are at risk of developing osteoporosis.

Causes of osteoporosis

Different people have different pattern of bone reformation and resorbing, this is the reason why doctor are persuaded that there are different causes of osteoporosis possible.

Any significant changes in such important chemicals as estrogen, testosterone, parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, calcium, as well as blood factors, may result in osteoporosis.

Sex hormones are among the usual osteoporosis causes both in men and in women. After the menopause a substantial and sudden decrease of bone density occurs. The responsible chemical for this process is estrogen, because the production of it stops.

For men testosterone is the most important hormone, which is converted into estrogen in different parts of a man’s body, including the bones. Studies have shown that the loss in both estrogen and testosterone in elderly men contribute to bone loss, and they both seem to be integral to bone function.

A low vitamin D and calcium level is also what causes osteoporosis. Vitamin D is the vitamin that is much like a hormone. It is responsible for normal absorption of calcium and for the bone growth as well. If there is a vitamin D deficiency, the calcium absorption becomes impaired, which triggers an increase in parathyroid hormone levels.

Parathyroid gland produces the parathyroid hormone. On the thyroid gland surface four smaller glands are located; these glands are the most significant instruments in regulating the levels of calcium in blood. If the level of calcium is low, the glands stimulate a higher production of parathyroid hormone. It increases then the calcium levels in blood, which may result in bone loss.

Genetic factors are also the known causes of osteoporosis. If your parents or siblings have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, of if there is a family history of bone fracture; you are more likely to develop this condition too.

Certain drugs, such as corticosteroid ones, that are being commonly used to treat different types of disorders may reduce bone mass in men and women. It is not proven yet whether inhaled steroids are as dangerous, but some of the studies show that they may result in substantial bone loss when taken for long periods of time and at high doses. Children, who are on inhaled steroids, such as to treat asthma, may experience a temporary impairment in growth, but they do not seem to have the bone loss risk.

Depending on the type of the disorder, diuretics may also be the causes of osteoporosis. Diuretics are used to treat high blood pressure. Such loop diuretic as furosemide, or Lasix may increase the excretion of calcium in the kidneys, and as a result cause bone loss. However, thiazide diuretics, have an opposite effect, they protect bones from thinning, but this effect only takes place while the medication is taken, once it’s stopped, no such effect is further present.

The loss of bone density may also be provoked by hormonal contraceptives that use estrogen and progestin, such as Depo-Provera injection, for instance.

And finally, such conditions as alcoholism, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, epilepsy, and a number of others may also increase the chances of developing osteoporosis.